Leorna

Latest posts by Leorna

We have taken all our green tomatoes off the vine in our rather cramped, small, plastic greenhouse, in order to allow others to fruit. This, following recent Gardeners World advice from Monty Don, BBC 2, Friday evenings (there is a link up between this website and that programme!), that if green tomatoes are left to ripen around this time of year on the vine, then no other tomato will be able to grow in its place. We have ripened virtually all our (green) tomatoes (easily over 100 so far)in a shallow oven-dish on our windowsill (south-facing, but in a dip). Perhaps they would have tasted better if we had allowed them to ripen on the vine, but they tasted delicious ripened like this, and maybe if we hadn't done this, we wouldn't have had so many? We grew two varieties - I can't remember them off-hand, but one is slightly larger than a cherry tomato and the other, a plum.

Rozzy, I have aliums as part of my seasonal container arrangements. They are going into pots - very belatedly - this very afternoon, after advice received on this site that it's best to plant them now than leave them to rot. Combining the advice I just got on here about flowering times/bulb size and planting depth with the advice I got when I bought them from a reputable nursery, and with what is written on the packs themselves, they will be going at the bottom of my containers, (as the Alium bulbs are the largest, and need to be planted the deepest) with Tulips above them, followed by Daffs, Muscari and topped off with Dwarf Iris. The member of staff/gardener I spoke to knew was looking to plant up containers with a mixture of bulbs for ongoing seasonal interest and she said Aliums would be fine for containers. The Alium bulbs and pack info I have is as follows:

That's reassuring to know, Discodave. I have some experience - all self-taught/read/experienced through trial and error. I find gardening is one of those areas of life which is bewildering and complex - something you either have to have learned through study or many years of experience to be truly good at it. We try to make the most of our small and awkward garden, and we have an allotment away from home, which we built up to a good level last year and then lost everything we planted last season due to the rain. We got very disheartened and are having to start moreorless from scratch again, this year. We both work full-time and have other commitments so find it hard to do all the things you should do at the time we are supposed to do it. Thanks for your encouragement, though - I will stick with this forum - I certainly have found the GW site to be one of the best, I just get fed-up with the way some people behave on user group forums, it seems to be more about the people than the reason why you want to interact, some times. That's usually the reason why I give up on inter-acting in the end, but I will stick with this and just ignore the personal elements.

Thanks, DiscoDave for your kind words and advice and thanks to the other contributors since then, too. It's great to get such useful advice. I will be cutting and pasting it into a file in my gardening folder! X

I don't think I will be bothering with this board in future. Sorry, but you guys have put me off. I was simply joining in on the back of a thread about late planting of bulbs - so clearly I knew I was late in planting my bulbs. I don't need someone I don't know admonishing me for that, however mildly meant - it's neither here nor there and why I haven't done something is no one else's business - if I want that kind of personal response, I can go to my family ! I was simply asking for impartial advice. I thanked sotonGeoff for his advice but it's up to me whether I comment on the other point he made, which I found unnecessary. It's my first time here, I wouldn't dream of making such a patronising remark to someone I don't know and I don't need someone else chipping in on my behalf before I have even had the time to respond, however well meant.

Have a nice time on here, the rest of you, but this is the kind of hassle I can well do without.

Thanks, sotongeoff, for your advice. Why I haven't planted them till now is immaterial, but probably also obvious: RAIN, CHRISTMAS, TIME I just noticed I had the same question as someone else on this forum today, which was a bit of luck. Wasn't aware I'd have to justify my time on this forum though !

Based on this advice, i will also be planting my half-price daffs, tulips, dwarf irises, aliums and scilla into pots tomorrow, unless anyone advises any different? Bought them end Nov at a reputable nursery on the advice of a gardener there - I wanted on-going seasonal, bulb interest in a few pots. She advised me to plant tulips deepest, then the aliums on top, then the daffs, then the scilla (muskari), then the dwarf varieties. I noticed on the "how to" tutorial on this site, though, that daffs should be planted deeper than the tulips (in the same pot) so I'm a bit confused. Was the gardener at the nursery right? Thanks for any tips.